Final Journal Submit

AIR

Architecture Design Studio 2013

Kewei Li |369263

Catalog Introduction

1

Architecture as a discourse

2-3

Case of Innovation

4-7

Computation Design

8-11

Parametric Modeling

12-15

Algorithmic Exploration

16

Conclusion & Outcomes

17

References & Images

18-19

Introduction Hello~! I’m Nicole and am an international student come from

western China. I’ve been in Melbourne for three years already and this is my third year of architecture studies. Designing became one of my favorate interests since I was a child. I’d love to see the different things much rather than those which are changeless, and it’s happy to see how things change into various forms and how people get inspired by those normal existences around us and manipulate them, recreate them into such fasinating, amazing works.

“Architecture is really about well-being. I think that people want to feel good in a space... On the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure.”

--- Zaha Hadid

There’s one subject relates with this course that I took in year one was Virtual Environment and that was my first time to have a chance to start learning about processing digital design. I would say that although digital design is not the only way to develop projects, it can bring up more designing possibilities and outcomes compare to other techniques. And what makes it outstanding is, people may get to know more detailed problems and methods to tackle these issues through the way they using it.

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Part A

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Architecture As A Discourse We actually have been asked so many times about ‘what is architecture and how do u define it’ in order to help us to approach our basic understanding of meaning of an architectural existence. And surely, an architectural work is not only referring to a physical shelter for people to resident in, nor a collectoin of arts. But for much more complicated meanings, it is an outcome of multiple factors, it is an combination of individual and public; objectivity and subjectivity, simplicity and complicity.

Far more, you could say that architecture is influenced by the combination of various effects, but at the meantime you have to admit that a good architecture will also bring up its effect back to society and people. It may change the way people living, it may change the way people thinking, it may change the way people vuluating and further deliver that power into society, and then the influenced society transfer this new impact on the next ‘generation’ architecture works. Just likes a running circle.

Architecture is life, or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest record of life as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived.

In the following sections, I will start with an explanation of discourse of architecture, and further argue through examples that compare to non-digital design, computational design is the more efficient way to achieve the idea of architecture as a discourse especially be an experience or living pattern of people in terms of computation design, parametric modelling and algorithmic explorations.

Architects speak through their architecture, and their architecture is also the language spoke by a specific “environment” such as culture, value, politics, desire, period, property, etc1.

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Case of Innovation

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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum NY Wright whisked visitors to the top of the building via elevator, proceeding downward at a leisurely pace on the fentle slope of a continuous ramp, enjoying the art on display, until returning to the entrance in rotunda.

In June 1943, Frank Lioyd Wright received a letter from Hilla Rebay, the art advisor to Solomon R. Guggenheim, asking him to design a new building to house Guggenheim’s collection of non-obejective art, a radical new art form being developed by such artists as Paul Klee, etc.

As Frank Lloyd Wright was always interested in the relationship between buildings and their surrounding environments, this museum was made to complement its environment so as to create a single, unified space that appears to “grow naturally” out of the ground3.

It is a local museum of non-objective painting and it has been used in the same way from the start although it went through a short-term restoration in 1990. In 1990, Before the final design, Wright had gone through many other ideas and revisions. One of them was meant to 2 be hexagonal ; another was clad in pink marble. The museum was closed due to expansion and restoration. The restoration opened the entire Wright building to the public for the first time, converting spaces that had been used for storage and offices into galleries, with the restored restaurant and retrofitted support. This museum has been used as same function area.

As for the style, it is a monument to modernism, the unique architecture of the space, with its spiral ramp riding to a domed skylight, continues to thrill visitors and provide a unique forum for the presentation of contemporary art4.

This building made it socially and culturally acceptable for an architect to design a highly expressive, intensive personal museum. It has become a cultural icon in New York City and can be seen widely throughout popular culture.

And most importantly, compare to other normal stairway or pathway design, Wright’s idea of new route to walk through has brought people to a brand new experience and gave them a new idea of how they can experience with space more efficiently.

His new idea that has been appriciated is that he created a innovative method to lead visitors travel through his building: without using the conventional approach to museum design, which attrack people walk through a series of interconnected rooms and forced them to retrace their steps when leaving. Instead of this,

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Guggenheim Museum Bilbao SPAIN any particular reasons or derived from any geometrics laws. It is considered as a shell that evokes the past industrial life.

As an opposite example from Solomon Guggenheim Museum, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has not really being appreciated by the world.

The museum was built by by Gehry Partners in 1997. At a time when modern meant austere and rectilinear, Eero Saarinen defied orthodoxy by designing an airline terminal that looked like it was taking flight. Beginning in the 1990s, a new generation of curvy, dynamic buildings suggested waves, organisms, or natural forces locked in perpetual spectacle5.

However, It was surely appreciated at the start, but people have been argued away whether it is a successful for a long time. Although it is the fact that this museum was created by a very innovative way in terms of shape, materials and space distribution which had made it an iconic building, the project fails miserably as a public space: disable to be a significant part to support the culture and community life that is throbbing through the city6. The museum located on the waterfront near the center of Bilbao and it interrupts the life of the city also an insult to pedestrians who would like to use this space for anything rather than gawking at this tremendous metal cladding. As people pass through this space as fast as possible since there is nothing really to do here but just and only impressed by the architecture. And the city of Bilbao is a very sociable place with a sociable culture, this building is kind of block the possible social activities from its enormous public space. Moreover, the skin with like endless cold metal blank and no-decoration surfaces are unfriendly and even an irritation for inhabits. Therefore, it failed to acknowledge the relationship with surrounding human activities and its adjacent environments.

Almost from the moment it opened in 1997, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with its distinctive titanium curves and soaring glass atrium, was hailed as one of the most important buildings of the 20th century. Gehry’s use of cutting-edge computer-aided design technology enabled him to translate poetic forms into reality. The resulting architecture is sculptural and expressionistic, with spaces unlike any others for the presentation of art. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has been functioning as an impressive stage for the exhibition of contemporary art, as it was the original purpose.

However, visitors come from all over the world are putting much more attention on the museum itself rather than the inner exhibition works.

This design was inspired by the shapes and textures of a fish; it is not only architecture but also a sculpture. The form does not caused by

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7

Computation Design

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Burnham Pavilion Millennium Park Zaha Hadid Architects participation in the Burnham Plan Centennial celebrations is a great opportunity to participate in Chicago’s ongoing tradition of bold plans and big dreams with an architectural design at the scale of a pavilion. The structure will trigger the visitor’s intellectual curiosity whilst an intensification of public life around and within the pavilion supports the idea of public discourse and design language of future7.

Computation in design process, help to clarify and divide rules and integrate different information. Furthermore, although it is a pity that computer lacks any creative abilities, it still can predict and show the potential various outcomes under each actions to achieve the goals. All in all, computer in design process gives a hand to analyze problems, clarify aims and distribute movements and make them all logically in working system9.

Some people might stand oppose to computing design saying that it will lead to uncontrollable outcomes. However, sometimes people do need to obtain an unpredictable results to achieve their predictable intentions. And Burnham Pavilion has explained it well: superimpositions of spatial structures with hidden traces of Burnham’s organizational systems and architectural representations create unexpected results. By using methods of overlaying, complexity is build up and inscribed in the structure. As Kalay demonstrated, design is a process with its goal-directed movements, to direct at obvious achievable target8. And since computer is, as we known, is a grand analytical machine. It can easily follow the rules without making some silly calculation mistakes.

It is reasonable, efficient, and has great abilities to search specific information and deal with arithmetic counting as well as repeating the fussy instructions endlessly.

The pavilion is composed of an intricate bent-aluminum structure, with each element shaped and welded in order to create its unique curvi–linear form. Outer and inner fabric skins are wrapped tightly around the metal frame to create the fluid shape. The project encourages reinvention and improvement on an urban scale and welcomes the future with innovative ideas and technologies whilst referencing the original organizational systems of Burnham’s plan. The design merges new formal concepts with the memory of bold historic urban planning. It is argured that most people may not have a strong ability to comprehend the complex geometry from digital design.

However, this example just proved that computational aid-ed design could bring out with much more interesting structure that attracting people’s eyeballs and spend their time play with it, also let its aesthetic perception daily life.

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Chamber Music Hall Manchester Zaha Hadid Architects have created a unique Chamber Music Hall specially designed to house solo performances of the exquisite music of Johann Sebastian Bach. A voluminous ribbon swirls within the room, carving out a spatial and visual response to the intricate relationships of Bach’s harmonies10.

otherwise be impossible and produces a proliferation of formal outcomes, seek more possible flexible outcomes at the meantime can abtain obtain a better idea as a whole process.

Digital architecture allows complex calculations that delimit architects and allow a diverse range of complex forms to be created with great ease using computer algorithms12.

As those who disagree with computing design thinking, these techniques do not respect hand-drawing process and it replaces the work of human brains, also may automatically skip some detailed engagements. However, computing design is acting as a supplementary assitance out of architect’s self-engagement and the main director decisoins still controlled by designers. Therefore, as long as the designer is controlling it, it won’t change to a whole unexpected results that are out of control, it is uncontrollable under conrol.

The flexibility of computation design would propose more construction detail challenges such as surface texture, fabrication inter-connection. Therefore, it requires stronger and more advanced techniques that can satisfy digital design’s level and can bring it into reality. Computation impacts on achievable geometries through relative digital software. These software will maintain conceivable geometries through their proper manners13.

Computation design should be considered as a design search instrument. This requires us to understand traditional design explores and the prediction designers presume, before being able to start creating emulations that allow the visualization of the search process as well as implicit qualities of space. Designers will be in the position to search through the design solution spaces that gather their assumptions about spatial phenomena.

These were developed as 3D CAD models by Zaha Hadid Architects and were then imported into acoustic modelling software. This enabled the investigation of different finishes and sculptural shapes to enhance acoustic conditions around the stage and audience areas of the space11. With using computer-aided design technologies, designer can create effects that would

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The surface of the fabric shell undulates in a constant but in a constant but changing rhythm as it is stretched over the internal structure.

It varies between the highly tensioned skin on the exterior of the ribbon and the soft billowing effect of the same fabric on the interior of the ribbon. Clear acrylic acoustic panels are suspended above the stage to reflect and disperse the sound, while remaining visually imperceptible within the fabric membrane14.

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Parametric Modelling

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Skyscraper Competition in 2007, by Dominiki Dadatsi, Fountoulaki Eltini15 It is a very twisty flexible digital form which looks like an accumulation of numerous levels. It is argued that in parametric design system, every part,every dimension is designed through parameters, if users want to change only a dimension, they will find it hard.

However, through this skyscraper project, it is easy to see that by using parametric system, designers can design a series of parts through using the same parameters, but if the designers do not use parametric design, they have to use fixed dimensions in designing every part which will waste much time of them. Also if observe carefully at this project, you can find that there are a lots of layers are set as the same but at different angles. That is, in the parametric design, if designers have to design some parts which are similar, they don’t need to design every part, they can design one part, and modify the geometry models through modifying some parameters to make the others parts that they need.

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Swooth Pavilion, 2008. Figure 1 Swooth Pavilion has been one of the most representive examples of small scale architectures designs that made out of parametric system. Starting with intentionally chosen values, and under certain rules that we have imposed on the system when setting ti up, we are able to instanstly obtain very complex results, which also, can be immediately recalculated by simply tweaking the orginal parameters16.

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Swooth Pavilion, 2008. Figure 2 Compare to non-computational process, the effects from parametric modelling is immediate. It is could be considered as a huge leap in the quality of process, since designers are no longer bound by general tools anymore; now it is will be designers to design their own tools. Swooth Pavilion is one of the different outcomes that designer chose to bring it into reality after parametric testing with bunch of possibilities. Therefore, in the other hand, parametric design is fundamental when minimizing the effort needed to create and test design variants. Generating an automated process eliminates tedious repetitive tasks, the need of complicated calculations, the possibility of human error, and works with huge shifts in the outcomes with slight variations of the original parameters.

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Algorithmic Explorations

As a start, I followed the tutorial vedios on website, and after I have obtained a basic acknowledge of operating Grasshopper in Rhino, I decided to explore it a bit seek for a extention. Tree dimension toolbar, allow us to create complex geometrics component from an initial simple shape. we can immediately obtain possible various outcomes by setting up and changing the value of algorithm to engage with further development propo -sal.

Through this project, I have a better understanding of parametric system and algorithm design.

The power of algorithms lay in the ability to solve a wide range of computational problems including but not limited to sorting and searching, data structure operations, combinatorial problems, numerical problems, and computational geometry.

Compare to non-digital design works, algorithmic thinking and algorithmic design has much relevance to the concept of generative design. Algorithms can computationally generate and manipulate design entities such as geometric form, design variables, data structures that contain numeric or geometrical entities, mathematical expressions and operations, and the logical operations.

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Conclusion To sum up, architecture as a discourse could be more achievable via computational design rather than non-computation-aided design. Non-computation-aided design could assume long period time, and hard to document it up which will lead to the difficulty to refind or repeat the former record.

Computation design short down the time using on process, provides much more possibilities and allow designer to choose, to manipulate in a very convenient controlling way, you can choose one as your final outcome, but you can also choose one as your basic foundation for further development.

Through getting touch with computational system spproach to design process, I realized that computer-aided technique is not only just used for adding artistic visualization on a work, but more significant, it helps us to be compensated in the effort of adding this layer of intelligence to our design with the reward of exploring the possibilities our parameters can bring us, and the possible surprise in the discovery of unimagined outcomes generated by our creation. Parametric thinking introduces the shift in the mindset between the search for an special static and

defined formal solution, and the design of the specific stages and factors used to achieve it. It is the use of algorithms and advanced computational techniques not for the sake of drawing shapes, but creating formal possibilities. It is not about producing a solution, but the package of possible outcomes.

In the case of Western Gateway Design Project, I think it is a really good opptunity to practise with parametric system. Since we don’t need to consider about the construction detailed in reality, it lets us to play with computational design with few limitation. This is good for us to maximize our creativities and innovations to produce brain-storm works.

Therefore, has a knowledge that already know parametric is really creative tool of making and maniputing object into amazing shapes, I would really like to have a try to design something that relates to futurism, as well as bring it down to reality to consider the design as a combination of different aspects influence such as adjacent traffic flow, culture or even society. To make it as a real discourse of architecture.

Learning Outcomes Through this process by looking up examples and have a argument to for computational design, my understanding of the profit from using digital-aided tool has been becoming more and more deep-going.

These kind of softwares can help us to capture and exploits the critical relationships between design intent and geometry. Designs can be refined by either dynamically modeling and directly manipulating geometry, by applying rules and capturing relationships between building elements, or by defining complex building forms and systems through concisely expressed algorithms.

I think design is considered as an iterative divergence or convergence process, where designers are supported and encouraged to generate the widest possible range of concepts, and then to explore, evaluate, and modify. Parametric modeling and alorithmic design as design synthesis methods allow for the divergence of the deisgn space in order to explore many variants of the same parametric model.

Both parametric modeling and alorithmic system are the basis of computational desgn process, it will be a good start if we get to more understand them well and getting familiar with them.

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References 1. Australian Institute of Architects (2013), ‘What is Architecture?’, in Becoming an architect, (Australia). P1.

National Historic Landmark Nomination (2008), ‘Exterior‘, New York, P5.

Quinan, Jack (1993), ‘‘Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim: A Historian’s Report.’ Journal of the Society of Architecture Historians 52, P446-482.

Twomby, Robert C (1979), Frank Lloyd Wright: His life and His Architecture, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

5. Katie Cacace (2004), ‘An evaluation of the cladding materials’, from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic502069.files/guggenheim.pdf P2, last access 4th April 2013.

6. Katie Cacace (2004), ‘An evaluation of the cladding materials’, from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic502069.files/guggenheim.pdf P3, last access 4th April 2013.

7. Designboom (2009), ‘zaha hadid architects: burnham pavilion, chicago’, from http://www.designboom.com/architecture/zaha-hadid-architects-burnham-pavilion-chicago/ last access 4th April 2013.

8. Yehuda E. Kalay (2004), ‘An introduction to the principles of design as a foundation for digital approaches’, in Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, P5.

9. Benjamin Jotham Fry (2004), ‘Computational Information Design’, Process, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, P18.

10. Zaha Hadid Architects (2009), ‘JS Bach Chamber Music Hall’, from http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/ js-bach-chamber-music-hall/ last access 4th April 2013.

11. Archdaily (2009), ‘Chamber Music Hall / Zaha Hadid Architects’, from http://www.archdaily.com/28250/chamber-music-hall-zaha-hadid-architects/ last access 3rd April 2013.

12. Kostas Terzidis (2006), ‘Algorithmic Architecture - A Brief History of Algotecture’, Boston, MA: Elsevier, P3.

13. Rhinoceros (2013), ‘Conference: Computational Design and Architecture in Turkey’, from http://blog.rhino3d. com/2013/03/conference-computational-design-and.html last access 3rd April 2013.

14. era Verner Panton (2009), ‘Chamber Music Hall Manchester’, from http://blog.verner-panton.de/en/raeume/ raumdesign-mit-verner-panton/chamber-music-hall-manchester/ last access 4th April 2013.

15. eVolo (2009), ‘Parametric Urbanism’, from http://www.evolo.us/competition/parametric-urbanism/ last access 3rd April 2013.

16. Rethinking-Architecture (2010), ‘Introduction: Parametric Design’, from http://www.rethinking-architecture. com/introduction-parametric-design,354/ last access 4th April 2013.

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Images 1. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Solomon+R.+Guggenheim&start=111&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=ITxb51e_Gfc1kM:&imgrefurl=http://andresalvador.smugmug.com/ARCHITECTURE-PHOTOS/PHOTOSHOOT-IN-NEW-YORK-CITY/2640763_MP398n/139524601_58DCvCq&docid=GDm-1Y8qAh4q2M&imgurl=http:// andresalvador.smugmug.com/ARCHITECTURE-PHOTOS/PHOTO-SHOOT-IN-NEW-YORK-CITY/i-58DCvCq/0/L/ Guggenheim-BW-01-web-L.jpg&w=800&h=533&ei=h0FcUbL0KIuiiAf3y4DgCQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:35,s:100 ,i:109&iact=rc&dur=251&page=4&tbnh=183&tbnw=266&ndsp=41&tx=211&ty=119&biw=1920&bih=924 2. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Solomon+R.+Guggenheim&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=JAEYNQXdCQ0x5M:&imgrefurl=http://designmuseum.org/__entry/4926%3Fstyle%3Ddesign_image_popup&docid=7AmqbyfEFcp1aM&imgurl=http://designmuseum.org/media/item/4956/-1/116_10Lg. jpg&w=413&h=330&ei=c0FcUaKKGa6tiQfalYGgDg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:65,s:0,i:285&iact=rc&dur=278&page=2&tbnh=182&tbnw=227&start=32&ndsp=40&tx=171&ty=122&biw=1920&bih=924 3. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Guggenheim+Museum+bilbao&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=UGbFnPQCBtxmJM:&imgrefurl=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/architecture_news.htm&docid=m1OdiC2_CUYjIM&imgurl=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/bilbao/guggenheim_museum_bilbao_ebe310108_2. jpg&w=900&h=706&ei=7kFcUdPWC-SZiQe_yoG4Aw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:3,s:0,i:105&iact=rc&dur=91&page=1&tbnh=175&tbnw=242&start=0&ndsp=27&tx=63&ty=130&biw=1920&bih=924 4. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Guggenheim+Museum+bilbao&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=WnCjg1Tl5jxKKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.xarj.net/2007/guggenheim-museum-bilbao/&docid=iuu6l7Rb6npvXM&imgurl=http://www.xarj.net/wp-content/gallery/guggenheim-museum-bilbao/guggenheim-museum-bilbao07. jpg&w=1000&h=1333&ei=7kFcUdPWC-SZiQe_yoG4Aw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:90,s:0,i:374&iact=rc&dur=252&page=3&tbnh=185&tbnw=130&start=65&ndsp=36&tx=78&ty=45&biw=1920&bih=924 5. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Burnham+Pavilion&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=XtijN-tpqZ2-GM:&imgrefurl=http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2010/01/18/burnham-pavilion/&docid=MrXYBMfpxOLouM&imgurl=http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/burnham. jpg&w=468&h=432&ei=wkJcUeDsFoSciAftlYCYDw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:43,s:0,i:219&iact=rc&dur=141&page=2&tbnh=182&tbnw=197&start=31&ndsp=37&tx=143&ty=72&biw=1920&bih=924 6. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Chamber+Music+Hall&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=L0nWhQiCTLm89M:&imgrefurl=http://www.archdaily.com/28250/chamber-music-hall-zaha-hadid-architects/zha_jsbach_manchester_cp_lh_04/&docid=ZdSegVJINb2doM&imgurl=http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/ uploads/2009/07/zha_jsbach_manchester_cp_lh_04.jpg&w=1000&h=546&ei=PkNcUcGcBMnMkwXBx4CACQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:0,s:0,i:82&iact=rc&dur=197&page=1&tbnh=166&tbnw=304&start=0&ndsp=30&tx=206&ty=115&biw=1920&bih=924 7. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Chamber+Music+Hall&um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=07bydpcWta4CeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bustler.net/index.php/article/js_bach_zaha_hadid_architects_chamber_music_hall_for_manchester_internation/&docid=9Y4uEI2BBzlQJM&imgurl=http://www.bustler.net/images/uploads/ zha_jsbach_01x.jpg&w=1075&h=1200&ei=PkNcUcGcBMnMkwXBx4CACQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:2,s:0,i:88&iact=rc&dur=196&page=1&tbnh=190&tbnw=178&start=0&ndsp=30&tx=123&ty=109&biw=1920&bih=924 8. http://www.evolo.us/competition/parametric-urbanism/ 9. http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Swoosh+Pavilion&start=111&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=HJ3Gt5o-SFoJTM:&imgrefurl=http://full-power-architects.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html&docid=2OYZknvomfwiYM&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8RQBCYbBGmY/TN0Rq8egDkI/AAAAAAAAADg/ozrvD2fvIJM/s1600/ swoosh%252Bpavilion%252B%252525282%25252529.jpg&w=400&h=275&ei=skNcUfjDDYSciAftlYCYDw&zoom =1&ved=1t:3588,r:14,s:100,i:46&iact=rc&dur=388&page=4&tbnh=186&tbnw=264&ndsp=45&tx=137&ty=90&b iw=1920&bih=924

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Part B

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Design Approach

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Design Focus

By having a basic understanding of the Wyndham’s Western Gateway Project and the interest of contouring manipulation method, I would argue that the theme of sectioning is the one that most fits with my idea of further gateway design proposals.

Take the One Main Street for an instance, it is clearly showed the relationship of final outcome and sectioning process. Sectioning provides a mode of changing and enhances the visual art of a sense of physic. And timber is the material selected to bring into shape, so to some extent it achieves the idea of eco-friendly environment but the examples do not mention much about the surrounding environment of project therefore not sure whether it reflects with the outside environment well.

If back to the theme itself and the requirements of the project, sectioning could be regarded as the most appropriate method to satisfy the demands rather than other methods like patterning or geometry.

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First of all, the host wants the gateway to be “seeds of change”, which refers to sense of movements, could be explained well through using sectioning method which always can provide a flexible form by creating contour lines. These lines in sections can also become the key view lines for drivers who pass through. Secondly, it is demonstrated that, this gateway does not really demand literal or didactic context but it needs to be more abstract, aspirational aim. Compare to sectioning, geometry or patterning themes is most likely to create something for visual art rather then being abstract, they apply creative skin displays on surface but may have little thing to do with structure manipulation. However, in this gateway case, it does not need much such creative patterns, it more needs a method that can provide a kinetic overall structure to response with the high speed traffic flow and at the meantime reflect well with the open landscape. Thirdly, patterning somehow would just apply died skin on gateway but hardly become dynamic. However, as Gaggart argued in Australian Design Review, gateway “sustains a massive scale but is open and dynamic”, sectioning method can achieve it by its fluent form and contour curves connection.

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Sectioning

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Design Concept

Banq Restaurant. Nadaa Architects.

This space has been renovated in a very interesting way: the wall and ceilings were decorate using wave element made from unique pieces of three-quarter-inch birch plywood adhered together in a scenario that likens to a puzzle. The columns and the wine storage, in the middle of the hall, serve to uphold the fiction, and appear to be suspended from the ceiling. if the longitudinal axis emphasizes the seamless surface, then lateral views offer striated glimpses into the service space above, and demystify the illusion. To underline this strategy, certain areas of the ceiling “drip” and “slump”, acknowledging the location of to place exit signs, lighting features, and other details.

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Banq Restaurant. Nadaa Architects.

Acknowledging the historical setting of the building, the ceiling hovers away from all interior walls and instead finds its support in suspension from above. Nearly running the entire width of the space, each rib of the undulated ceiling is made from unique pieces of three-quarterinch birch plywood adhered together in a scenario that likens to a puzzle; only one possible location for each unit, formulating the continuous member. These continuous members are fastened to the main structural ribs running perpendicular to the lattice, tracing both the overall ceiling topography and the steel supports of the base building. Spacing between the visible ceiling ribs is variable; compressing and releasing to maintain visual densities of the overall surface as seen from different angles.

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Idea 1. accumulation

Daniel Arsham - 2D & 3D Works

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Our practice is aimed to create an exaggerating structure. The developed uninterrupted forms under two different ideas are derived from our experiences. They based on the theme of sectioning and its further exploration. We regard it as a montage of an abstractive epitome of the entry of Wyndham.

First Idea: we want to achieve an effect concerns with accumulation and floating structure. In order to create such effect, we tried to achieve it by explorating the relationship between each single pieces within the overall intact entity. For inspiration, we choes Daniel Arsham’s Pixel Cloud and “Inlet” as our precedents. Then on one hand we tried to use the same way as it in these to works to achieve the idea of accumulation, that is to, connect each individual pieces together by simple overlying. After this, we explored a new interesting way to reach accumulation by applying a interlocking system on the model.

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Daniel Arsham, Pixel Cloud.

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Idea 2. veiling

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From one of interesting artworks from American artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, ‘The Gates’ is displayed in Central Park of New York City and artists use colored flowing fabric panels to create attractive visual effect as landscape art. Soft and lightsome fabric panels wave slightly under gentle wind within the environmental surrounding. It also forms another memorable vision and impression for this city.

Inspired from another artwork designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude as well, ‘Wrapped Reichstag’ is completed in Berlin from 1971 to 1995 by using thick woven polypropylene fabric with an aluminum surface, blue polypropylene rope and tailor-made fabric panels. Materials are all recycled. The silvery fabric also creates a sumptuous flow of vertical folds that highlight proportions of the imposing structure.

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Through the concept of sectioning, we explore changes of veiling surface under weather conditions, such as sunny, windy, stormy or snowy weather. Weather condition is one of the considering factor that may influence the flow or shape of surface.

The intensity of wind makes the movement and wave of veiling surface flexible, expanding or shrinking. These movements will change the proportion of the whole structure from visual effect. Moreover, the space within the veiling covered on the structure will also change based on the intensity of the wind. While veiling surface turns to shrink, sectioned area is more obviously shown. Veiling is also functioned as landscape art from environmental and aesthetic aspects. More experiments of changing shape and material are developed later.

From one of interesting artworks from American artists Christo and JeanneClaude, ‘The Gates’ is displayed in Central Park of New York City and artists use colored flowing fabric panels to create attractive visual effect as landscape art.

Soft and lightsome fabric panels wave slightly under gentle wind within the environmental surrounding. It also forms another memorable vision and impression for this city.

The second precedent uses American artist, Daniel Arsham’s three-dimensional sculpture, ‘Hammock’, part of ‘the fall, the ball and the wall’, exhibited in OHWOW Gallery in Los Angeles in 2007. Arsham shows the speed, force, power and stretching through man hanging from the wall.

The vertical visual effect showing heavy force of hanging and from the folds of hanging, we want to achieve similar effect, which the sectioned model is stretched by covering the veiling surface.

Inspired from another artwork designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude as well, ‘Wrapped Reichstag’ is completed in Berlin from 1971 to 1995 by using thick woven polypropylene fabric with an aluminum surface, blue polypropylene rope and tailor-made fabric panels. Materials are all recycled.

The silvery fabric also creates a sumptuous flow of vertical folds that highlight proportions of the imposing structure.

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Practise in Grasshopper

In our own exploration about sectioning, we tried to expend the original method into a different way to create sectioning. For example, instead of lofting a surface to develop further, we tried to use single line as a base. And then we divided it into some controllable points, and then kept creating planes on these points. At the meantime, we continue to use the mathematical operations in original method to control the data and put the data in one series collection, and then repeat the data for several times, meanwhile try to rotate them with different angles, and if we want to apply the thickness on these planes, we will use the box toolbar to achieve certain thickness and it will become a fabricated thing in the end.

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Redesigned models

Through modelling, we carefully tested how each pieces could possibly connect with each other and then form as a whole object. Also, we tried to create the sense of floating. The floating structures are the ensemble of these functions: they are floating volumes that can be moved, anchored, connected to the land, connected to themselves, usable before, during and after the emergency. The floating structures can have different forms and dimensions one to each other, to be more or less density, to have the chance to be modified and to contain different functions. The floating structures will be public and property of the city.

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These models show the second idea of veiling. The one at the bottom derived from the precedent, The Gate, designed by Christo and Jeanne Claude. Tha artists use soft fabric panels on steel columns and panels will wave by the wind and bright color made pretty latge area of shadow, which is quite close to each other. We use plastic paper instead of stretch fabric here and wood strips to fit into the urban landscape. There is an special visual effect if it is installed in the urban city or natural environment. Each piece of plastic paper is penetrated by the wood strips at two opposite points in a diagonal line. The location of two points are fixed and each single group composed of two wood strips and one piece of plastic paper is arranged in a radiating form, so it makes an expanding form and shadow are reflected flowing that form as well. On the other hand, because of different intensity of wind, the wave of the veiling surface, used by plastic paper here, are variable and shadow effect is changeable as well.

The idea of wrapping is clearly represented from this two models.

however, the method of wrapping the struture makes the effect of the whole structural by viewers look different under wind conditions. Space within the plastic wrap change based on the intensity of wind and it may expand or shrink at different moment, gently or fiercely. Logically, space within the structure expand or shrink gently while the wind blows gently and fiercely when it blows fiercely as well. The structure is seen clearly when the veiling survace gives force by the wind to the structure. Using the plastic wrap is not the best choice, but it still can represent the design idea. The second model is constructed by a lot of hollow cylinders for free style and hollow cylinders are covered by plastic wrap, the limited material, as well.

We stick each same size hollow cylinders together and they are placed in different angles. The effect we want to achieve is that the structure is different to the original vision without wind and hollow space is highlighted when there is a strong pressured wind. Moreover, the form of the structure changes and space within cylinders varies. The model can be enlarged into a big surface with these howw cylinders, think it will be interestng and create strong visual effect.

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Algorithmic Sketch

Technique Proposal

Our group is arguing that sectioning as a design approach offers an innate ability to materialize the form.

In our view of sectioning, it can achieve an exciting effect by changing visual perception and control, spatial density, kinetic relationship. By using grasshopper as a parametric design process, our goal is to producing a local icon which stands for local culture and vast landscape beauty. Compare to generative process, the effects from parametric modelling is immediate. It is could be considered as a huge leap in the quality of process,Compare to generative process, the effects from parametric modelling is immediate. It is could be considered as a huge leap in the quality of process, since designers are no longer bound by general tools anymore; now it is will be designers to design their own tools. Therefore, in the other hand, parametric design is fundamental when minimizing the effort needed to create and test design variants.

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Generating an automated process eliminates tedious repetitive tasks, the need of complicated calculations, the possibility of human error, and works with huge shifts in the outcomes with slight variations of the original parameters. since designers are no longer bound by general tools anymore; now it is will be designers to design their own tools. Swooth Pavilion is one of the different outcomes that designer chose to bring it into reality after parametric testing with bunch of possibilities. Therefore, in the other hand, parametric design is fundamental when minimizing the effort needed to create and test design variants. Generating an automated process eliminates tedious repetitive tasks, the need of complicated calculations, the possibility of human error, and works with huge shifts in the outcomes with slight variations of the original parameters.

Study Outcomes Through the whole process of Part B. We developed our idea through grasshopper and precedents support. Apart from a fairly strong engagement with the brief, the process of computation developed by our group has not yet pay enough consideration for site research and further analysis. Digital techniques have strongly assisted us to understand more of our own ideas and seek more possible outcomes that cannot be foreseened at the start. Model making process has more inform us what specific our ideas should concentrate on. One of our interesting model making idea is in order to test the models in real natural world, we put some of them on grass, mixed with soil, flew on water, to see how exactly sectioning models can work in a physical environment.

In the next part, according to the former feedback, we will try to create combine these two ideas and to make a dynamic form and structure that interact closely to local landscape and the weather especially how it gonna performance under windy condition and what kind of sound effect it could be achieved with.

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References http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/13032/Safe_Erections_Web.pdf http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/13032/Safe_Erections_Web.pdf http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/13032/Safe_Erections_Web.pdf http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/projects/the-umbrellas http://www.tiagobarros.eu/ http://www.onesixteen.com.au/wyndhamVision.html http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/artworks/realized-projects http://www.danielarsham.com/index.php?/project/sculpture/ http://www.evolo.us/architecture/putrajaya-waterfront-residential-towers-studio-nicoletti-associati/ http://www.archdaily.com/66959/kring-kumho-culture-complex-unsangdong-architects/

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Part C

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Project Proposal

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Design Concept N

WIND From the comments gained from mid semester presentation’s crits, we have a deeper understanding of our own idea and in which kind of method we can develop the idea more interesting and correctly.

The Comments were basically focused on two points: they were really interested in the idea of different transparent materials like one wrapping the other one or having an overlaying position. The second point was about the expecting improvement and advises for further development in Part C: consider combining the sound effect in our design with the former key idea of wind. Thus, in the further development, we will add the sound effect in design and make it interact with the wind effect. We tend to have a waffle grid structure below to fix the semitransparent soft panel above in position.

We need to check out some information before we decided where should we put our design on the site.

Site photos and plans would be the most obvious tool to figure that out. Another important factor that must be taken into account is the wind directon on site.

From the figure on left hand side, we can easily know that most of the time wind blows from north(a bit north-west) to south and during little time blows from west to east. We finally decided to locate the design between Site A and Site B that acrosses the highway.

We aim to create a landmark of Wyndham City and an exciting experiense for getting into the city. The design would create great sound over a largte area surface to “welcome“ those who driving by.

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Grasshopper Definition: create certain curves and loft them into surface

Create Brep polysurface and geo bounding box Set Slider for each item list: wireframe etc.

Set the center box as geometry and Z unit as translation vector

Divide curves into x length and y width

Link the box to material thickness slider

Set integer,YZ, XZ plane with cull indexed elements

Scale the box into 50% of original size

Delete all redundant information from data tree

Create a box on XY plane and link to subset of base list into base plane. Adjust sliders to test how form would change.

Offset curves with certain distance Create surface according to edge curves and link the first curve to data and the second curve to flattened

Consider about the thickness of materials and create slider to connect with the fourth curve on edge surface.

Repeat same steps, add uni vector to extrude curve

Extrude curves need to connect to Y unit on 2nd list

Add in base geometry along vector from ectrusion

Use Z unit to link with thickness slider

Find intersection position for each two curves

Connect two domains of sublist and two curves

Create two sliders : 15 and 30

Point list flattened before connected to the output from sub list

Input domain values for the first and second serious

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Tectonic Elements About the tectonic elements, we will have three parts of that to hold them as one: Waffle Grid Structure: to support the upper cladding, to maintain the basic form of overall design skeleton, to fix the cladding in positions.

Semitransparent Panels: the element that be applied by a certain movement caused by wind blows through, the key element to represent the idea of sound effect.

Joint: we used four angle cleats for the joint connection and screw them in the four inner corners. It is used because we need to stabilize the waffle structure since in reality this kind of large scale structure cannot just being built up without any “reinforcement” (Although for the model we don’t really need it since it’s stable enough but we need to represent it what it is gonna look like in real construction details, the other reason we use cleats is for the soft panel above it, each panel will be fix with the upper half of the cleat with two screws to fix them on right angles.

Material used: 1.5mm Screen Board + Semitransparent Paper + Metal Joints + UHU Glue + adhesive tape. The materials behaved exactly as expected before.

Detailed Construction in reality need to consider: FOR BUILDER: Before start construction, a traffic control and protect plan should be planed. Steel frame can be made off the side instead on site for protecting local landscape. The builder should know the target area for building up the design and make sure the unloading area is stable enough and able to temporarily stock some certain machines and equipments and heavy-load materials. We will use steel as the skeleton material so form the main structure. According to research, steel is supported and secured therefore the movement of steel is totally controllable, the thing that matters is builder needs to pay attention when steel is ready to be lifted to fix in right position.

FOR TRANSPORTER: When transporting the steel, keep them in a safe position that to avoid causing dangers on road to other transports and people. Steel also need to be stablized and positioned before restraints are released. Make sure the evhicle stay in postion until the steel is properly secured, safety first. In this case, steel framework needs to be restrained one by one instead of moving them in bulk which would cause the instability of erector and causes extra damages. Semitransparent surface needs to be folded and wrapped up for preotection purpose. The transporter also needs to have a plan on route to save time and reduce possible dangers or get some essential permissions from government or relative apartments for something need to be special considerations like traffic control, road closure, etc.

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Detailed Instructions: 1.steel shape and grooves are built due to design drawings.

2.Holes need to be drilled on the steel beams for connection.

3. Screws fix into cleats and help to stablize the soft panel above each waffle grid.

4. Repeat placing semitransparent surface materials until the entire surface is covered.

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Gateway Project: Final Model

Above photographs were took during the modeling process. we supposed to send the fabrication to fablab for laser cutting, but we ran out of time plus we needed to wait at least four days to get the file back. Thus we decided to hand-cut all the elements.

We first unrolled all the elements on XY plane, and then gave each of them specific numbers so we can have correct order when we need to put them together. Then set all the elements on right scale before printed on A0. After printed, we cut them off and traced them on 1.5mm screenboard to cut them into shapes.

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After repeating the cutting process and finally built them up as a whole waffle grid, we needed to put another layer on top of it. Dimensions were set up very carefully and drew on semitransparent panel.

We actually tried to use papercut machine but it didn’t maybe it only allows for real paper. We sticked them into each waffle grids one by one until they covered the entire surface. It was a long tired process but much quicker than fablab especially during busy time, the biggest disadvantage was we had to manually find out all the intersecting positions.

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Algorithmic Sketches Part of Former Matrix, relates to the final form of our model.

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Matrix on the left hand side was our new matrix derived from certain movement that provided by kangaroo plug-in. From picture 1 to 10, “wind“ blows from the bottom to the top, from strong to weak and the to strong again. The parametric software had provided us so much flexible quick changes that we needed for testing.

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Learning Outcomes Have a consideration on the comments from final presentation, the biggest problem is that we didn’t consider enough about the site itself for example the key question was wind direction on site.

Through this studio, we had a long discussion on architecture as a discourse by discussing bunch of architecture works especially those based on parametric design. We were impressed by the advantages of computational design and explained how these advantages could improve the whole designing process and what kind of significant helps could be gained from parametric software. In our case, rhino and grasshopper had played very important roles in our design process. There were two aspects that really impressed us: first was about flexibility: grasshopper had provided us so many unpredictable outcomes and possibilities. We can easily adjust the detailed elements and structures by setting different parameters. The other one was about quick changes: in our case, wind is the most important factor out of all, if without the application of parametric software, we would have to build up a real model and in order to test it we need to place it in a real natural environment which would be really hard to control and time-consuming. Thus, with the help of grasshopper, we can create “wind” in computer and see how the model will change under different strength and directions of wind.

It is a much cleverer and quicker method to apply movement on model to create certain outcomes.

Through the whole process, I’ve learnt basic grasshopper skills. I think we are able to use computational methods to design and fabricate projects that similar to this studio.

We got a lot of uesful feedbacks from the guests in final presentation, they pointed out the things that we ignored and did not focus on but somehow would be really important for this whole project. We had realized that we still have much room for improvement and aspects that need to be considered more. We did not focus enough on the site itself and its environmental information thus we lacked of essential evidences to support our idea. For instance, wind is the most significant factor in our design but we missed it most at the end and it became the biggest serious mistake for the reason why we were bashed.

Knowing the direction of wind is essential for us to know to what extent the sound would be produced under wind. One of the guests suggested us that we should reposition all the semitransparent surface to produce sound more effectively. We admit that this suggestion would be definitely work. The reason why we placed all the soft surface in west to east direction was based on the aspect of aesthetics and we believe that in this position, the surface will still produced certain level of sound. It is just the problem that our previous idea may not produce such loud sound compare to guest’s suggestion. But we totally understand what guests talked about and they were all make sense since we really knew that we did not consider enough for the site.

Through the whole process, I gained a deep understanding about parametric design that it contains so many advantages which are really important for modern architecture design. It provides a more efficient way to design digitallu and brings unforeseen possibilities and outcomes. It changes the role of an architect.

It is an exciting studio indeed.

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References http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/13032/Safe_Erections_Web.pdf http://wind.willyweather.com.au/vic/melbourne/melbourne.html http://www.google.com.au/search?q=Jeanne+Claude&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=NvayUfufEYnzkQW7h4CgBg&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=987&bih=622#facrc=_&imgrc=kg9YXInpot7gZM%3A%3BVBu8X8DZhx-ugM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbyamoret.com%252Fwelcome%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F03%252Fthe-umbrellas.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbyamoret. com%252Fwelcome%252F2013%252F03%252F01%252Fchristo-and-jeanne-claude-the-matsaba-project-for-theabu-dhabi-uae-the-art-book-review-february-2013%252F%3B710%3B488 http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/2011/ jenny/passingcloud/passingcloud01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.designboom.com/architecture/tiago-barros-passing-cloud/&h=558&w=818&sz=193&tbnid=AcPztylYHprEtM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=132&prev=/ search%3Fq%3Dpassing%2Bcloud%2Bby%2BTiago%2BBarros%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=passing+cloud+by+Tiago+Barros&usg=__IEqlX-GZQzuP7yPygcZQf3JwJ6g=&docid=eTgQncAnDHqk-M&sa=X&ei=i_ ayUaL2OM-HkgWntIHgCw&ved=0CDgQ9QEwAw&dur=794

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